N.J. Jury Enters Split Verdict in First 'Long-Term Use' Vioxx Trial

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Jurors in New Jersey on April 5 reached a split verdict in a multi-plaintiff Vioxx trial, awarding $4.5 million to a man who suffered a heart attack after taking the arthritis drug for four years, but finding the painkiller did not cause the heart attack of a second plaintiff who alleged he took the drug for 22 months. In Re: Vioxx Litigation, Case No. 619 (N.J. Super. Ct., Atlantic Cty.).

The verdict was reached after nearly 14 hours of deliberation over two days by the Atlantic County Superior Court jury made up of six women and …